2014 TCHS Raffle Project

Replica of Simmons Gin was perfect size for playhouse or distinctive storage shed

October 27, 2014

Historical Society Raffles Replica of Simmons Gin

     The Simmons Cotton Gin in Frederick has been a fixture on West Grand Avenue since the town’s early days.

The Tillman County Historical Society is celebrating the old building’s heritage by making it the organization’s 2014 Christmas raffle project. Some lucky person will win a smaller duplicate version of the distractive building for their own back yard! The building will make an amazing playhouse or a distinctive storage shed.

Simmons Gin building on West Grand Avenue in Frederick

Raffle tickets for the building are $5 each or five for $20. All proceeds will be used toward operational expenses of the Pioneer Townsite Museum in Frederick.

The raffle is an annual historical society project that has spanned several years with prizes being reproductions of numerous buildings at the Pioneer Townsite Museum. Past projects have included the museum’s 1902 Horse Creek School, the 1924 AME Church, the 1902 Frisco Depot, and the Frisco caboose.

This year’s reproduction building is distinguished by its large size, easy-access doors, and four operational windows. The building measures eight feet wide, 20 feet in length, and 10 feet tall. It is built on a metal frame, and features a tin roof. Vinyl brick-look siding on the building is meant to represent the real gin’s orange brick façade.

The building was constructed by Pioneer Townsite director Jimmy Espinosa and the museum’s assigned inmates from the Frederick Work-Release Center.

The real Simmons Gin is owned by the historical society, which hopes to someday incorporate the facility into the Pioneer Townsite Museum’s exhibit space. The actual gin encompasses two buildings, but Espinosa designed the reproduction as an interpretation of the gin’s main north building.

The historical society purchased lumber and materials for the project from Frederick businesses.

The drawing to determine the building’s winner will be held December 22 at Frederick’s Gourmet Gallery and will be broadcast live on KYBE’s 8:00 a.m. “Town and Country” radio program.

 

In this 1924 panorama shot of Frederick (taken from the city water tower, looking toward the east) the Simmons Gin is at front center.

Historical Society 2013 Raffle

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Replica of Horse Creek School will be given away.

Historical Society to Raffles

Horse Creek School Replica

lucky person will soon have a wonderful piece of Tillman County history in their back yard.

The Tillman County Historical Society’s annual raffle project is a scale reproduction building modeled after the museum’s 1902 Horse Creek School. The building will make an amazing playhouse or a wonderfully distinctive storage shed.

Raffle tickets for the building are $5 each or five for $20 All proceeds will be directed toward operational expenses of the Pioneer Townsite Museum in Frederick.

The winning ticket will be drawn this spring at the historical society’s annual meeting.

The raffle is an annual historical society project that has spanned many years with prizes being reproductions of buildings at the Pioneer Townsite Museum. Past projects have included the 1924 AME Church, the museum’s red barn, the 1902 Frisco Depot, and the museum’s Frisco caboose.

Reproductions of the Horse Creek School have been built in the past, but scale of this year’s building provides broader use that past models. The building is approximately 10 feet tall, 6 feet wide, and 12 feet long.

The building was constructed by Pioneer Townsite director Jimmy Espinosa and the museum’s assigned inmates from the Frederick Work-Release Center.

The historical society purchased lumber and materials for the project from Frederick businesses.

The reproduction schoolhouse is currently on display at the Pioneer Townsite Museum, but can be seen in coming weeks at numerous points in Frederick including the Tillman County Courthouse Square. It will also be featured in Frederick’s Christmas Parade on December 13.

The annual building raffle is the Tillman County Historical Society’s most important fundraising project. All proceeds will be used for operation and maintenance of the Pioneer Townsite Museum in Frederick.

Raffle tickets for the depot building may be purchased at the following locations: BancFirst in Frederick; First National Bank, Frederick; Frederick ACE Hardware; Box, Inc.; the Frederick Chamber of Commerce; Tillco Supply; Southwest Rural Electric in Tipton; and the Pioneer Townsite Museum.

Tickets can also be purchased from any member of the Tillman County Historical Society’s board of directors. They are Merle Atkins, Judy Benson, Jack Bohl, Cacy Caldwell, Su Clifton, Frances Goodknight, Dena Northcutt, Jay Oxford, Roy Perkins, Jim Smith, Kent Smith, Cathy Riggins, Gary Tyler, Virginia Walker, and Joe Wynn.

POST-NOTE: Winner of the schoolhouse replica, drawn during the historical society's annual meeting on April 14, was Don Dunham of Frederick.

Replica Rail Car Giveaway

A replica of the Pioneer Townsite Museum's Frisco caboose will be given away in the Tillman County Historical Society's annual building reproduction raffle. The replica, pictured above, is mounted on trailer wheels which are not part of the prize. The caboose will be delivered free to a site within in Tillman County. Delivery to any site outside the county will be by special arrangement.

  

Caboose Replica Raffle Underway

Want to own your own private “railroad car”?

This may be your chance.

That’s because the Tillman County Historical Society has picked the Frisco caboose that is on permanent display at its Pioneer Townsite Museum in Frederick as this year’s replica reproduction building for raffle.

Tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and may be purchased from any historical society board member, the museum, the Frederick Chamber of Commerce, or several area businesses.

The winning ticket will be drawn during the historical society’s 2012 annual meeting in April.

The caboose replica, made of wood construction in a smaller scale than the original, will be a perfect children’s playhouse or one-of-a-kind backyard storage building. It is red and white with the Frisco logo painted in black, and measures approximately 10 feet in length, 6 feet wide, and 10 feet tall. It is designed as a stationary building.

The replica was built by museum director Jimmy Espinosa with assistance from Oklahoma Department of Corrections inmates from the Frederick Work Release Center who are assigned to work at the museum site.

Materials for construction of the caboose were purchased by the historical society from area merchants.

Numerous businesses have also supported the project by signing on as sponsors. The sponsor list is still growing but will be publicized by the historical society when the list is final. Signs listing sponsors have been attached to the caboose replica during the raffle period.

The choosing of a museum attraction for construction of a raffle replica is a historical society tradition. In past years, the historical society has raffled reproductions of the museum’s Horse Creek School, AME Church, red barn, and Frisco Depot.

The annual building replica raffle is the historical society’s most important fundraising project, with all proceeds to be used for the Pioneer Townsite Museum’s operational expenses. These expenses include utilities and upkeep of the townsite’s historical structures.

The reproduction buildings are usually constructed in the fall and raffles are conducted at Christmastime. This year, though, the caboose construction was completed much later than normal, just in time for an appearance in the December 15 Frederick Christmas parade. This year’s raffle period has therefore been scheduled to run through April, with the winning ticket to be drawn at the historical society’s annual meeting.

The caboose replica can be seen at the Pioneer Townsite Museum, and will be exhibited periodically at numerous sites and businesses throughout Frederick.

Locations where tickets are available include the following: BancFirst in Frederick; First National Bank in Frederick; KC’s Gift Store; Box, Inc.; Tillco Supply; Frederick ACE Hardware; The Frederick Chamber of Commerce; and The Pioneer Townsite Museum.

In Tipton, tickets may be purchased at Southwest Rural Electric Cooperative.

The following members of the Tillman County Historical Society’s board of directors also have tickets for sale: Merle Atkins, Jack Bohl, Cacy Caldwell, Su Clifton, Frances Goodknight, Dena Northcutt, Jay Oxford, Roy Perkins, Cathy Riggins, Jim Smith, Kent Smith, Gary Tyler, Virginia Walker, and Joe Wynn.

Information about the caboose project or tickets is available at the Frederick Chamber of Commerce, 580-335-2126, or by mail: Tillman County Historical Society, P.O. Box 833, Frederick, OK 73542.

Frisco Depot is Historic Building

Column sent to Frederick Leader and Frederick Press

October 27, 2009

The Methodist minister and his wife gather with the church congregation at the Frisco Depot after a revival meeting in earlyday Frederick.

Workers are pictured in the Frisco Depot office in 1903.

Founding of Frederick Tied to Frisco Depot

The Frisco Depot is the most historic building in Frederick.

The depot stands today at North 8^th and Floral in Pioneer Park, but it was the decision in 1902 by the Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railroad (The BES Line, later the Frisco) to locate the depot at its original site that established the town of Frederick.

After the area was opened to settlement by land lottery in August 1901, two potential towns battled for the townsite – Gosnell and Hazel. Gosnell was a site that was promoted by Rev. S.M. Gosnell. Hazel, located one half mile south of Grand Avenue, was developed and promoted by John Mounts.

The town that secured the railroad depot would be the town that survived.

Gosnell secured the depot and the town site’s future by making a deal with Charles Hunter, manager of the BES Line’s townsite company, giving him half the lots in the original town of Gosnell for the agreement to establish a depot here. The depot was built in 1902. The town’s lots were platted on September 30, 1902, and on January 1, 1903, the town’s name was officially changed from Gosnell to Frederick in honor or Frederick Van Blarcom, the son of a railroad official.

The depot was built in 1902 at 400 West Grand Avenue, just west of the railroad tracks. All buildings constructed in Frederick at that time were wood frame and the depot was no exception. Brick buildings would come later.

The Frederick depot was never an ornate or pretentious building, but was built for service and efficiency. Throughout Frederick’s early decades it was a hive of activity, with trains, people, freight coming and going every day.

When President Theodore Roosevelt visited Frederick in April 1905, he disembarked from his private rail car at the depot.

Eventually, as train shipping became less important to Frederick and passenger service was discontinued, the old depot was closed and fell into disrepair.

In 1987, though, the Frederick Historical Society moved the depot two blocks from its original site to its current location at the Pioneer Townsite Museum. It was not an easy move. To transport the large building, it was cut into three sections and carefully relocated, one section at a time. At its new location, the historic building was restored and brick that surrounded the building at its original location was also relocated to the current site.

Today, the historic 107-year-old building has a new life. At the museum, the building provides educational insight into early transportation in the area and a time when most people and freight came to Frederick by rail.

Pioneer Townsite manager Jimmy Espinosa and an unidentified worker add finishing touches to the depot reproduction that will be raffled by the Tillman County Historical Society as a 2009 holiday fundraiser.

The Frisco Depot is one of the most popular attractions at the Pioneer Townsite.

For that reason, it is appropriate that the depot is the subject of the Tillman County Historical Society’s 2009 Christmas reproduction building raffle. Museum Director Jimmy Espinosa and inmates from the Frederick Work Release Center at Weaver began work on the project several months ago. The result is an amazing scale reproduction of the Frisco Depot’s main section, complete with deep-set eaves and bay windows. Twenty feet in length, the reproduction building is a reduced-scale version of the original depot.

The Christmas reproduction building is always important fundraising project for the historical society, but this year it is more important than ever because funding is much-needed to offset state budget cuts for operation of the local museum.

The building will be given away in a drawing that will be held on KYBE’s “Town and Country” on December 23. Raffle tickets are $5 each and may be purchased at Frederick Hardware, BancFirst, First National Bank, Tillco Supply, or Box, Inc. Tickets may also be purchased at the Pioneer Townsite, the Frederick Chamber office, or from any historical society board member.

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Joe Wynn is a member of the Tillman County Historical Society’s board of directors. He can be contacted by e-mail at jawynn@cableone.net